No. 2 Syracuse beats Rutgers 74-64

A Top Ten team finally left the Rutgers Athletic Center with a win this season.

No. 2 Syracuse was able to do what Florida and Connecticut couldn't, beat Rutgers at home and leave with its ranking intact.

C.J. Fair scored a career-high 21 points and Scoop Jardine added 17, including a dagger 3-pointer with 1:11 to play, as the Orange beat Rutgers 74-64 on Sunday.

The team from the top of the 16-team Big East beat one of the bottom five. It didn't feel that way all game.

Gilvydas Biruta matched his career-high with 21 points for Rutgers, which was within two points four times from the 8:45 mark until there was 3:08 to play.

The Scarlet Knights couldn't tie the game or take the lead on seven possessions with the two-point deficit.

The last time they got that close was 64-62 with 3:08 left.

"Our guys kept the fighter's mentality. They didn't back down," Rutgers coach Mike Rice said. "It wasn't a negative, frustrated reaction. I've been working on that, have an edge, have a passion but don't become frustrated. That's selfish and takes away your energy."

Jardine, whose big 3 made it 69-62, talked about Rutgers' three freshmen guards, who struggled and combined to make 7 of 24 from the field, including 3 of 16 from 3-point range.

"Those guys are really good," Jardine said of Myles Mack, Eli Carter and Jerome Seagears. "They are going to improve when they get confidence. This is a tough league, going against seniors and bigger guards like myself. We'll be talking about them 2, 3 years from now."

Rice talked immediately about settling for too many 3-pointers.

"We settled for them, " he said. "Syracuse plays zone so you're going to take some 3s, we just didn't make enough."

Jardine sat in front of his locker with a smile as he answered questions about the big shot.

"I've done that a couple of times in my career," he said with a wink. "It's doing what you know you should. I was driving all game so he was backing off me and I got some space and had the confidence to knock it in."

Jardine had some high praise for Fair, whose previous career-high was 17 points against Rutgers last season.

"He's the guy you have to have if you're going to win a national championship," Jardine said of Fair, one of those exciting open-court players who isn't labeled with a position. "He can't be stopped and I know I'm always looking for him. He's been shooting the ball great."

The Orange (27-1, 14-1), who have seven players averaging between 14.0 and 7.0 points, improved their lead in the Big East standings to 2 1-2 games over No. 12 Marquette and No. 23 Notre Dame.

The Scarlet Knights (12-15, 4-10) had some success this season against some of the better teams in the country. They beat two Top Ten teams at home — Florida and Connecticut — and they were right there with the Orange, who have won 12 straight games in the series.

The Scarlet Knights couldn't tie the game or take the lead on seven possessions with the two-point deficit.

The last time they got that close was 64-62 with 3:08 left.

"Our guys kept the fighter's mentality. They didn't back down," Rice said. "It wasn't a negative, frustrated reaction. I've been working on that, have an edge, have a passion but don't become frustrated. That's selfish and takes away your energy."

Jardine hit a jumper 25 seconds later to make it a four-point game. Rutgers turned the ball over and then got a break when Dion Waiters missed two free throws with 1:54 to go.

Carter missed a 3-point attempt for Rutgers and after a timeout by Syracuse, Jardine drilled a 3 from the head of the key with 1:11 left and the Orange had a 69-62 lead.

Fair said the close games — a three-point overtime win over No. 10 Georgetown and a two-point win at No. 19 Louisville — have been good for the Orange.

"To tell you the truth it's always better to win close games," he said when asked about the difference of winning all those blowouts this season. "You get experience. You get momentum. You get confidence in case it occurs again."

Kris Joseph added 14 points for Syracuse, which was 24 for 48 from the field, including 5 of 12 on 3s. The Orange had a big advantage at the free throw line, going 21 of 31 to Rutgers' 9 of 11.

Mike Poole had 10 points — eight in the final 9:19 — for the Scarlet Knights, who shot 41.9 percent (26 for 62) but made just 3 of 18 3-point attempts. Rutgers has dropped five straight and seven of eight.